Sanguine Tales To Tell In The Crypt
by Bilbo-sama
Summary: (NNK2, rating may change, previously known as 'Blood Is Thicker') In which I do a self-imposed challenge and write as many vampire stories as I can during October because why not.
1. The Fifth Pillar

To be honest, this was not what I planned to return to the fandom with. I was going to write something different in between my jumping around the many Dragon Quest wips I somehow accumulated in August but then I got the idea of 'write a vampire story' and I was like 'which one?'

Clearly the answer is 'all of them.'

So during October, I'm going to mostly focus on my self-imposed vampire challenge. Any stories I manage to finish will be posted on the weekends. It could be just one or two at a time depending on how deep in the Writing Zone(TM) I got into. And yes, this will be just for NNK2. Nothing is coming to me for NNK1, sorry.

The overall rating may change in the event I stop being a weenie and write something ~dark~. Or something kinda ~sexy~. This is vampire fic after all.

(~Too sexy~ will not appear on ff dot net to comply with site rules, sorry)

I may comply with established vampire lore or I could just ignore logistical questions like 'how does vampire!Evan cross water if vampires can't according to this version of lore' or 'if everyone is a vampire, then how do they survive?' Anything's possible in here (probably). :D

COLLECTION-WIDE DISCLAIMER: I do not own Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom. That belongs to Level 5 and Bandai Namco. Any properties I might cross over with belong to their respective owners. Content of this collection appearing outside of fanfiction dot net (under the username bilbo-sama), Archive Of Our Own (bilbosama), tumblr (bilbosama), and dreamwidth (bilbosama) has been done so without my permission.

**UPDATE 10/21/2019: Title has been changed from 'Blood Is Thicker' to 'Sanguine Tales To Tell In The Crypt' **

* * *

Sanguine Tales To Tell In The Crypt

By Bilbo-sama

The Fifth Pillar

* * *

"...And finally, the Fifth Pillar," announced the Hydropolitan guard, known to his friends as Alec, "no vampires allowed."

The small group of visitors from the west lands stared at him in confusion.

"Um," started the blond half-Grimalkin child.

"Yes?" Alec's colleague challenged.

"We heard your Queen is a vampire?" said the red haired girl, her statement more like a question. "Isn't she breaking the law?"

"Vampire_s_," repeated Alec, emphasizing the 's,' "as in more than one."

He watched as comprehension dawned in most of the visitors. The man in the blue coat still looked confused.

"Aye, I get it," the odd red and yellow creature by the half-Grimalkin said slowly and loudly, "this place is too flippin' small to divide territory, aint it?"

The blue coated man seemed to understand now. Strange, this is one of those things you learn while you are small. What coral did he emerge from?

"We promise to uphold the Pillars of Law," said the man.

"Good," the guards returned to their usual duties, glad that to at last meet some tourists who are going to respect Hydropolis' decrees.

A few hours later, the children of that group broke into a forbidden high zone and proposed marriage within view of everyone.

Alec felt greatly disappointed. He was so sure this time it would be different. That they wouldn't be like other tourist groups in the past several months.

...Well, at least this time the fifth pillar wasn't challenged again.

(...Under his watch anyway.)


	2. Readjustments

Yeah, remember the time the Lair of the Lost Lord DLC gave Roland a journal that was scattered all over the place? And it was released a couple of months after I finished writing The Chief Consul's Diary? Oooh boy that was a wild two weeks I had there.

So here's a chapter dedicated to the canon version. Non-vampire version may be posted later once I figure out how that one ends.

I know in-game Evan posts about finding it after you collect 30 of them but here we're going with 20 after you finish up Broadleaf for plot reasons.

Also this is an 'everyone is a vampire in Evan's world' AU. And for some reason nobody consumes blood. No, I have no idea how this works.

To clarify some backstory on Roland's end, he conveniently gets to enjoy some privileges everyone else takes for granted like not being harmed by the sun while in this world. He's also part of a big clan and there are some Rules you should never break...

* * *

Sanguine Tales To Tell In The Crypt

By Bilbo-sama

Readjustments

* * *

Roland's password to his Leafbook account was rather simple the more Evan thought about it. 'Mister President,' really? Given how Roland used to vaguely talk about his past in the first month since his arrival to this world, someone should've figured it out sooner.

The tabs leading to various parts of your account didn't reveal much. There was a few people he privately messaged over the past year and they were about kingdom related things like farming and the treasury. Turns out the harvest will be more plentiful than expected this year, much to the surprise of everyone who was involved.

There were a few pictures of scenery in the picture tab. Kinda boring except for the drawing of an eagle surrounded by stars and a couple of words in a language he didn't recall seeing before. Is that from Roland's world?

But there was a new tab Evan hadn't seen before. He tapped it and the tab opened to reveal a series of posts. The eagle was in the background.

The first one read:

_So it didn't take long for my cell phone to die. Figuring I wasn't going to be able to source a charger anytime soon, I needed to find somewhere else to write down my private thoughts. This Leafbook thing looks like it has a private mode so let's see if it works...  
_

Ah. This is Roland's journal. Evan didn't know you can do that with Leafbooks.

He continued reading the entry.

_It's a good thing I made my account first before helping Evan set up his own. It was surprising to find something similar to parental controls on these things. Evan is still too young for some content I might find on here. _

Evan hissed. He's 12! He can handle whatever it is Roland is keeping him away from!

...Wait a minute, he's in Roland's account. He can find out whatever it is Roland is keeping him away from. Whose going to stop him?

Evan spotted a familiar word in the journal's second entry. Right. Journal first then all of leaf book proper.

The second entry read:

_Talking cats and mice, magic, Kingmakers, those feel believable. But everyone in the whole wide world is a vampire? Really? How is everyone getting fed if everyone else is undead and bloodless? What can they prey on? Is this a trade off for being able to stand under the sun's light?  
_

Wait, what.

Vampires consume _blood_ where he's from? That's disgusting! Who would do that?

...Is that why he asked Evan those odd questions as they traveled to Cloudcoil Canyon back then? Is that what vampires do in his world?

_Correction,_ said the fifth entry, _nobody drinks blood here according to a few pirates I asked during the party last night. I have even more questions now._

There wasn't any more mentions of this until Evan reached the middle of Roland's observations on Goldpaw.

_I don't get it. The Dogfolk are said to transform into larger and monstrous versions of themselves that resemble Hedgehounds but they are also called vampires, not werewolves. Werewolves are a separate race where I'm from who are at the mercy of the moon's cycles.  
_

_I fear what we will stumble upon next beyond Goldpaw will do little to ease my culture shock._

Roland did seem discombobulated during their initial visit to Goldpaw. Evan thought it was because of the Dogfolk's reliance on Lady Luck and the Duebills. Those things are _loud_.

Evan skimmed ahead to see if Roland found out about anything in the Library but there was nothing else beyond, '_You don't normally have to fight bandits and dragons to get a library card._' How disappointing.

But on the bright side, Roland did seem to find better footing by the time their little group reached Hydropolis. Other than Broadleaf's science thing, it was as if nothing surprised him anymore.

Evan continued reading...

* * *

Roland sighed as he changed his password. How in the world did Evan figure it out? He tapped the tab to the post his King made and commented.

**Roland: Hey You need a password to read those!**

Immediately there was a reply. Evan must be slacking off.

**Evan: I typed in 'Mister President' and it worked!**

_Not anymore it doesn't,_ Roland thought. He shuddered as he considered what would've happened if he hadn't changed it before this conversation. Roland wasn't naive enough to believe that their allies and Ding Dong Dell wouldn't have taken advantage and had a field day over Evermore's state secrets.

Hmm, state secrets. He recalled seeing a miniature Prying Eye in the hall near the kitchens earlier. Ding Dong Dell was finally making a move and installed a spy somewhere in the kingdom. Sadly for them, their job was not made easier today.

(Who would figure it out that his new password is 'executive order' anyway?)

He'll have a face to face discussion with Evan later. But for now...

Roland closed his Leafbook and stored it into his arms band. He concentrated and a small book materialized. He opened it and glanced around out of habit.

_Another bandit from the woods north of our border was found drained of his blood today. That's the third one the patrols have found in a month. We will have to alert the King about this soon._

Roland sighed tiredly.

_I don't know how long I can keep this up. Whatever has brought me into this world only nullified my kind's weakness to the sun and turned me diurnal. It did nothing to completely modify the Hunger to conform to the diets of this world and it will only grow stronger as the days pass. Drinking the blood of a fellow vampire is taboo in both worlds but its all I can do to survive this strange place. None of the wildlife can sustain me enough._

_I fear that someday I will mess up and attack within the Kingdom. When that happens, I will be lucky if I am merely exiled._

Roland gasped as he felt a familiar sensation in his gut that extended to his jaws. No, not now! Not here!

He took a deep breath and focused on calming himself. The Hunger abated. He waited a few minutes before letting out a curse.

Sixteen hours this time. He needs to find a solution soon before he can no longer control his instincts.

Evan still needs his guidance. He can't leave him in the lurch like that.

But Evan doesn't deserve the fallout of his Chief Consul committing such heinous acts.

Roland sighed. Perhaps exile is the best way to go after all.

He recalled the Prying Eye again and an idea began to form.

Maybe its time they confront Ding Dong Dell.

* * *

Fun fact: according to old bits of vampire lore, vampires can turn into a bat and a wolf. Somehow the werewolf thing became its own separate thing.

Some bits of the Leafbook entries were lifted from screen shots. The parental controls thing is something I made up (and if you think about it, is probably something Leafbook should have since kids use it). We don't really know much about what you do on Leafbook and its other functions and its interface so anything goes, really.


	3. A Demand

Me: lol sparklepire Doloran

Also me: ...Wait, aren't Twilight vampires also super strong and hard to kill

And thus this was born. This might not be completely accurate to Twilight's vampire lore so to cover my bases, let's go with 'kinda based on.'

(Edit on 10/4/2019 around 8 PM EST: added a couple of lines to fix a plot hole whoops)

* * *

Sanguine Tales To Tell In The Crypt

By Bilbo-sama

A Demand

* * *

Roland had only been in this world for nearly a year and he thought nothing could surprise him anymore.

The vampire (Which still throws him off even now. Why, of all things, do vampires exist in this world alongside talking cats, dogs, and mice?) lord known as Doloran revealing that he and Roland share the same face and the same soul...now that was unexpected.

Roland could understand why the mask was needed. He winced again as he looked back at the other being's face.

As long as Doloran stood by the window, the sun light reflected on his gray skin. It was like he was covered in tiny LED lights.

(Gods, where are the others? He could have sworn they were right behind him. Roland could use Leander's dark magic to at least dim the room a bit right about now.)

"You will join me," boomed the vampire rather dramatically, "it is fate that brought you here."

"Sorry, but I am not a big fan of fate," replied Roland.

"It is not a request," said Doloran.

"I'd rather decline," Roland raised his gun and fired.

Doloran calmly stood in place as the bullet hit him. Roland watched in disbelief as the bullet bounced onto the floor, severely compacted.

The vampire made an amused noise as he looked down at his feet where the remains of the bullet laid before returning his gaze back to Roland, "My turn."

Roland never saw Doloran move but suddenly he was standing right in front him. And just as fast, Doloran grabbed Roland and threw him into a wall across the room.

Roland heard the wall (or, at least, he _hoped_ it was the wall) behind him crack as he collided into it. He dropped onto the floor, dazed but also unfortunately aware of his right shoulder's new acquired injury.

His blurred vision detected movement and he raised his head with great immediate regret as the world spun. He elected to lay his head back down and hoped the source of his current problem would just go away.

(Why aren't his friends coming to his aid? What has happened to them?)

Unfortunately for him, it did not. Instead, Doloran bent down and lifted up Roland by grabbing the material of his coat. Roland blearily stared into the vampire's red eyes.

"It is not a request," repeated Doloran, his eyes flashing, "you will join me."

All Roland can see is red...

* * *

[Omake]

"Join me," boomed Doloran dramatically as the sparkling intensified.

"Nah," said Roland as he adjusted his sunglasses.


	4. Across The Sea

Today we're exploring the 'can't cross running water' weakness. Which...if you think about it, makes the Hydropolis chapter a lot harder than it should be.

And yeah, Lofty could probably fix that issue but the kingsbond isn't strong enough for a whole ocean yet so...trip doors.

* * *

Sanguine Tales To Tell In The Crypt

By Bilbo-sama

Across The Sea

* * *

"The next country to visit is Hydropolis," Roland pointed to its location on the map. Tani, Batu, and Evan leaned over the table for a better look.

"Blimey," said Tani, "it's right in the middle of the ocean!"

Evan's ears drooped and his tail went limp as his face fell in disappointment, "...Oh."

"What's wrong?" asked Roland, concerned.

"Vampires can't cross runnin' water," explained Batu as he scratched his neck in thought, "and the whole bloomin' ocean is a lot of water."

"I thought Lofty would fix that," mused Roland as looked down at the diminutive Kingmaker.

"I'm en't strong enough to do that!" Lofty protested, "Rivers with bridges, sure, but a whole flippin' - wait, how did you reach the King's Cradle in the first place?"

"We flew on the birdmobiles," explained Tani, "It didn't seem to bother Evan much." Now that she thought about it, there was a lot of hissing behind her that day but there was no actual demands to turn back. But that may have been a grimalkin thing.

"The urge to get away from the water didn't bother me much high up," Evan rested his chin on his fist as he recalled that day. An idea then occurred to him: "What if we fly to Hydropolis?"

"Our skimmers aren't made for long distance, lad," Batu apologetically shot it down. Evan groaned in disappointment.

"You may have to stay here while a scouting party activates Hydropolis' trip door," decided Roland as he peered onto the map again, "we'll have to do it again for when we turn to Broadleaf."

"We'll have to think of somethin' to get over the rifts," frowned Batu as he pointed to the dark lines on the ocean parts of the map, "our skimmers wont withstand the winds from that."

"Then..." Evan mused, "what if we build a bigger one?"

"An air ship?" clarified Tani.

"Yeah!"

"We'll what we can do, lad," said Batu, ruffling Evan's hair, "but it wont be ready until we have time fer Broadleaf."

* * *

[Several weeks later]

"I admire your king's use of resourceful thinking," began Leander, "but I fear I must bear bad news."

"What's wrong, Archon?" asked Roland.

"It may be a three day journey to Leucippe's Labyrinth but given His Majesty's...natural weaknesses," even Leander winced at the wording, "he will have to stay here until someone uses a trip door to retrieve him."

"That's what we did last time," stated Roland.

"I don't mind staying here," said Evan, "Lofty thinks I might be able to learn a thing or two from Queen Nerea."

"Then I shall grant you good luck on your endeavors," Leander seemed rather relieved for some reason.

* * *

There was ghosts lurking inside the Labyrinth. They paid no heed to the travelers who were at the edge of the entrance looking for the runes marking a trip door. They did nothing as the trip door was activated.

And so the party returned to Hydropolis unimpeded.

Evan and Lofty were waiting by the entrance to the palace, whispering to each other quietly. Evan's ear twitched as he picked up the sound of approaching footsteps.

"Oh!" He turned to look at everyone, his tail swishing excitedly, "You're back!"

"Ahoy there, Evan," greeted Batu.

"I trust your stay in this city was a fruitful one?" asked Leander.

"Oh yes," Evan glanced down at Lofty who shared an odd look with him, "I learned lots."

The exchange didn't go unnoticed and so Tani asked, "Like what?"

"Ah..." Evan tilted his head as he recalled.

He then smiled nervously, revealing sharpened teeth that were unlike a typical grimalkin's, "Well...Queen Nerea did tell me what Leander was like when they were children."

"Are you ready to go?" Leander butted in, looking rather flustered. Tani and Lofty snickered.

"I am," nodded Evan.

And with that, the now larger party returned to the Labyrinth to truly take on the task Queen Nerea gave them.

* * *

"Where would the Queen most likely have gone?" asked Roland.

"She would have gone to the Abyss, which holds Brineskimmer's Cradle," explained Leander, "But alas...it's deep underwater."

Evan stared at the Archon in disbelief before he unleashed a string of catlike noises. His frustrated tone was the only clue what he could be saying.

"That was uncalled for!" scolded Lofty.


	5. Whispers of Rebellion

When I first started on this one, I suddenly had the idea to make two 'paths' of where the story might go because I liked both of them.

And then I got writers block on it for two weeks whoops

I'm not really liking how this turned out but at least I managed to finish it. :O

Anyway, in this one, kingmakers can conveniently give additional power to warding magic and change some traits in their bond holder because...well, you can't be a ruler if everyone is dead or wants you dead. Also, yellow eyes is a go-to sign of the person being a vampire but they can hide it.

Its also unrelated to the previous chapter, just a heads up.

* * *

Sanguine Tales To Tell In The Crypt

By Bilbo-sama

Whispers of Rebellion

* * *

President Zip Vector was acting really odd lately. He was eating less and he would stay up for days. He doesn't talk to people much while working. He looks rather pale.

"That just sounds his usual self," Bracken pointed out and Trey nodded in agreement.

"He's wearing sunglasses indoors according to reports," revealed the...whatever this guy is supposed to be in charge of. Maybe he's one of those guys who go around reporting badly overheard gossip on Leafbook before the guys running the LB-Moderator account deletes it off.

Bracken and Trey stared at each other in confusion before they turned to the (ugh) gossiper.

"What's this supposed to prove?" asked Trey.

"Vampires," said the guy who obviously just arrived in Broadleaf recently and isn't used to Zip's habits yet because _really_?

"Listen...uh-" started Bracken.

"Jeff," revealed the newbie.

"Listen, Jeff," Bracken restarted, "Did you see those symbols on the floor near the entrances into the Treehouse?"

"Yeah?"

"They help ward off vampires. They can't get in here without getting blasted into next week. The wards have been here since Broadleaf was founded."

"Besides, they're more interested fighting the werewolves," added Trey, "Which are also forbidden from entering here."

"You guys also have werewolves?" asked Jeff, his accent slipping into sounding more Dellian in origin, "Are you sure they aren't from Goldpaw?"

"People from Goldpaw don't look like beefed up Hedgehounds," said Bracken.

Jeff blinked before nodding. There were Hedgehounds around Dell, right? Bracken will have to look that up later.

And then Jeff said, "But what if you already have vampires in here?"

"Then I guess Bastion will take care of it," shrugged Bracken.

Jeff seemed more reassured after that and Bracken assumed that was the end of it.

* * *

[Side A]

This lasted for three days before other people started noticing Zip's behavior. It was hard not to when more and more people working on the reactor project are dropping like flies from exhaustion and overwork.

Bracken had discreetly asked the doctors over seeing the latest batch of overtired reactor guys to check for anemia. Fortunately, no one was showing signs of being a vampire's meal. This meant that Zip and the wards weren't compromised.

Unfortunately, this also meant that Zip is getting too focused on the project to do anything else. If it weren't for his bond to Bastion, he would have dropped like the rest by now.

Bracken entered the reactor room and was greeted by the sight of a young woman swaying in her chair. Two other programmers have already fallen to the floor. The rest just focused on their screens.

They all flanked the central computer which was being manned by Zip Vector.

"Zip?" she called out. Several heads looked up at her before quickly returning back to work.

"What?" was Zip's terse reply as he kept his focus on the screen.

"Don't you think you've gone long enough on this project? Have you ever considered taking a break?"

"Oh boy..." someone muttered in a long suffering tone.

"I can't take a break, Bracken," growled Zip, "this has to be done!"

"It will still be here when you get back from your break, Zip," said Bracken.

"But I'm so close!" Zip turned around and Bracken was taken aback by how awful he looked. The bags under his eyes could hold their own bags. No wonder he was wearing sunglasses whenever it occurred to him to actually leave this place. "If I break through this block, I will able to power the whole tower and the area surrounding it indefinitely!"

"But Zip-"

"I am not getting out of here and that's final!"

"You have other duties to your people, you know!" Bracken shot back, "Have you ever thought about that?"

Zip slowly blinked as a weird expression formed, as if he actually forgot about his other priorities until now.

"I...I'll be out in a few hours," he decided.

"Good," Bracken smiled in relief, "I'll send someone to get you." She turned and left the room.

Unfortunately, despite all efforts, he never left the reactor room until five days later for a quick power nap and a snack. He then went back and pushed everyone that gets assigned to the project to work harder.

Everyone was getting angry. Bracken could see nothing was going to change until she gave him a reality check so she and Trey helped formed the Resistance.

It would've been better if vampires were truly involved in this.

* * *

[Side B]

Three days later, Bracken encountered Zip in his office, a rare sight these days. Most of the time he's been working in the reactor room.

"Hey Zip, have you heard the rumors?" she asked him. Zip looked up from the mountain of paperwork on his desk.

"About what?"

"That you're a blood-sucking vampire."

Zip snorted, "That's ridiculous. What gave them that idea?"

"Part of it is the wearing sunglasses indoors thing," explained Bracken.

"Have you noticed how bright it is in here?" said Zip as his eyes briefly flashed yellow, "It's really hazardous leaving the reactor room. Its like you go blind until you finally adjust. Not exactly safe if you ask me."

"Then why not add more light fixtures in the reactor room so its not so bad?" Bracken facepalmed exasperatedly.

"...Huh," blinked Zip, "I hadn't thought of that."

"Its probably because you keep focusing too hard on your project," Bracken pointed out. "And so you don't notice your team mates are dropping like flies. That tends to make some people immediately start thinking of vampires as the reason despite how wrong that is. You should, like, stop doing that."

"Are people suddenly losing blood?" asked Zip in concern, "because that's not me."

"No," Bracken shook her head. "But-"

"Because Bastion kind of made sure that I don't need to drink blood anymore," Zip revealed nonchalantly.

"When did that start?" Bracken could've sworn she saw him with a mug of the stuff recently.

Wait. Was...was it recently?

"When Bastion and I formed that Kingsbond."

"Zip, that was five years ago! How are you still functioning?"

"By eating human food. It was weird at first but I got used to it," Zip made a weird face, "How can you humans stand making so much effort to break nutrients down?"

"How can you stand sleeping in a box full of dirt?"

"Touche," Zip turned to look back at the paperwork on his deck and sighed.

"Check the wards for me, will you?" he asked, "I'm not sharing the Treehouse with traditionalists until they understand that this place is mine and I'm not sharing."

Bracken left the office feeling that Zip didn't get the message: That his people are getting overworked and they aren't going to stand for it if this keeps up.

* * *

"Bracken," mumbled Zip when it was all over, "I...I can't feel Bastion anymore."

"Your Kingsbond was severed," Bracken explained, "and he tried to kill us all because of it. King Evan had to calm it down."

"Oh...oh yeah," Zip was starting to shake. "Um, Bracken...?"

"Zip?" Bracken tapped his shoulder in concern.

"Bracken," he looked up back at her with dark orange eyes, "I'm _hungry_."

* * *

[Side C]

A loud boom was heard. Startled, Jeff looked up from his corner of the rebellion's headquarters.

"What was that?" he asked.

"That was the anti-vampire wards," said a technician, "the noise is for our benefit. Lets us know that its working properly."

"Oh," Jeff went back to designing the protest signs.

An hour later, a man with disheveled dark hair wearing a soot covered blue coat showed up in headquarters. When asked why, he said he was told to go here.

"Also, I'm waiting for my colleagues. I figured I might find them here," he shrugged.

Jeff glanced at the man in suspicion. Did that guy's eyes just flash yellow? He watched him sit on a sofa tapping on his Leafbook viewer for a few minutes. Nothing else happened so Jeff let it drop.

A few minutes later, Trey burst into the room.

"Bastion is no longer on our side!" he declared, "the wards are failing!"

Oh gods. What are they supposed to do about that?

The man on the sofa suddenly looked up at the headquarters' main entrance. Bracken and a group of people who Jeff recognized from Leafbook as King Evan and most of his entourage walked in a few moments later.

King Evan's eyes lit up as he saw the soot covered man. "Roland! You're here!"

"It was the strangest thing," said Roland, "it was like an invisible barrier went down and I was able to get in."

Every rebel stopped what they were doing and stared. Bracken looked back at King Evan with a concerned expression.

"Vampire!" someone yelled and everyone started scrambling to pick up warding talismans and weapons. Roland glared as his incisors grew sharper as a warning. His arms band flickered as he prepared to quickly defend himself if the situation escalated into a brawl.

"Wait! Wait!" flailed Tani, "He's tame!"

"That's right," added Evan, who stepped in front of Roland who was quietly parroting '_tame?_' incredulously, "Roland wont hurt anyone!"

The Broadleafers didn't seem to believe them.

"I assure you he only drinks animal blood," said Leander, "I've seen him do it."

"When was the last time he ate?" asked Trey cautiously.

"Two hours ago," replied Roland as his face scrunched in disgust as he recalled the hedgehound he had caught, "Didn't taste so good to be honest."

"You're not going to attack anyone in here?" Bracken lowered her gun and internally winced at the reminder of how Broadleaf's growth affected the land around it.

"No," said Roland firmly. "As long as my cl -_ colleagues_ are safe from retaliation."

Bracken scanned the faces of the Evermore visitors and only found one pair of yellow eyes on Roland's face. He nearly called them his clan despite him being the only vampire in the group. What have they done to result in a vampire regarding them as family?

Trey seemed to have the same thoughts because he then called out, "Huddle up, everyone." Bracken and the other resistance members crowded around him and muttered among themselves. Evan's ears nervously bent down a little as he fidgeted.

At last, Bracken declared, "Alright. You guys got yourselves a deal."


	6. Also Platinum Works Well On Werewolves

This one shot exists because 1) I felt like tormenting Vermine a little, 2) I wanted to explore some classic vampire weaknesses, and 3) I thought it would be funny.

There is an alternate reveal I could have gone with and it has become an alternate ending because I didn't want to let it go.

(I had no idea what to title this so I decided on to make up some AU lore for a different monster)

Enjoy.

* * *

Sanguine Tales To Tell In The Crypt

By Bilbo-sama

Also Platinum Works Well On Werewolves

* * *

There was something off about the new arrival.

Oh, this was beyond disliking Roland Crane, former Chief Consul of Evermore.

For the past two days, being in the same room with him made Chancellor Vermine's instincts scream at him that danger is near. That he should scurry to the nearest burrow and hide until the predator is gone.

Times like that made Vermine angry that ancient instincts of mousekind had the audacity to tell him what to do. He is a modern mouse! He has thumbs! He can think beyond what to eat and who to share a bed with! By the God of Gods, he can protect himself from predators beyond hiding in the dark.

And it wasn't just him. His fellow mice are also uneasy. The few grimalkin allowed to work for the king are wary so not even the fading scent of that half-breed failure in the Heartlands can reassure them. The humans...seem oblivious (...as far as he can tell. How do they get by with inferior senses and no tails and whiskers?). How typical of them.

King Mausinger doesn't seem bothered but then again he could just summon Oakenhart if Mr. Crane tries anything.

(Vermine can't wait to be king and to have Oakenhart at his beck and call whenever he wanted.)

"There's nothing to worry about," His Majesty had said, "it will get better soon once Mr. Crane gets settled and is used to our ways."

Get settled? Its obvious the man is a spy and possibly something worse and Otto wants him to _stay_?

Vermine shall not stand for this!

During the dinner hour, Vermine and a court mage sneaked into the man's partially settled apartment and hid a few Prying Eyes. Their quick look around revealed nothing suspicious (...which is suspicious in on itself).

That night, Vermine looked into his scrying bowl and watched as Roland Crane entered the main living space of his apartment, sat down on the couch, and stared at the fireplace as if in a trance. This last for nearly two hours and by the end of it, Vermine was about to give up when Roland suddenly looked up at the window (causing Vermine to look at his own and found nothing but some clouds and the moon).

"It's time," said Roland and he got up, walked over to the window, and opened it.

Vermine bit back a curse as the man's turned yellow before he transformed into a small winged creature that then flew out of the window.

Roland Crane is a vampire.

And he just flew out to hunt in Ding Dong Dell.

By the God of Gods, Pippin should have told him this while sending his weekly reports. What kind of spy is he?

(...He's under that wretched creature's thrall isn't he? Damn!)

Vermine stepped away from the scrying bowl and went to open his wardrobe where a chest was held. In this chest he had stored his research into dark magic and creatures. He hadn't touched it since he had pledged his loyalty to Master Doloran. The man was well versed in this type of magic. Some of his spells are so old no one knows how to speak the language to cast them correctly anymore.

But he's very busy with other things (whatever they are) so Vermine can't wait for him to just show up unscheduled.

Surely there was information to protecting yourself from vampires somewhere in this chest.

He opened one grimoire and grinned when he checked the index. Success!

He carefully placed the book on the table and turned the pages to the chapter. Ah, there it is.

_To ward vampires from yourself and others,_ said the text, _try the following._

Vermine smiled. There's no way Crane can keep this hidden forever.

* * *

**1\. Carry Turnips or Daisies on Your Person**

_Turnips and daisies smell terrible to vampires and its said that touching one greatly hurts them. To protect yourself, carry a turnip in your pocket or attach daisy petals to your lapel._

Unfortunately, daisies don't grow during winter so Vermine had to make due with the turnips.

...Which, when whole and uncooked, turned out to be much larger than he expected. How are you supposed to fit them in your pockets?

Who thought small pockets was a good thing?!

(When he becomes king, he will find that idiot and execute them for this insult!)

So he decided to ask a kitchen maid to slice up a turnip for him.

"You're the fourth person this week to ask me to do this," she said as she bustled about the kitchen getting the items she needed, "it's kinda silly, if you ask me. Wouldn't Oakenhart prevent this sort of thing?"

"And what if he doesn't?" Vermine pointed out between the loud chops of the cleaver as the maid expertly diced the turnip

"Then it must be a test for His Majesty, then," she carefully shrugged before bringing the cleaver down again, "I dunno, I'm not an expert on Kingmakers beyond on what they teach us in school. They can do anything for all I know."

And with one final slice, she grabbed a plate and carefully placed the chunks of turnip on top of it, "Do you want this burnt to a crisp? This one fellow wanted his burnt so he can make earrings out of them. Honestly, what a waste of food..."

That didn't sound like a bad idea, actually. Perhaps he can make due with a necklace.

[Later]

"Ah, Mr. Crane," called Vermine cheerfully as he approached the..._creature _with a stack of papers, "Here is the report you've requested."

"Thank you, Chancellor," said Crane, who raised an (rather thick and probably a vampire trait that the book had missed) eyebrow as he noticed the leather cord around Vermine's neck with the turnip chunks strung into it.

Vermine quickly bumped Crane's hand with his turnip covered ring as he passed the papers over. Crane raised up the papers to his own viewing level (like a human with their ridiculous bad eyesight). His hand had no sign of a burn.

"This is definitely what I needed," smiled Crane casually before he walked away at a calm pace.

* * *

**2\. Blessed Items**

_Generally, iconography of an extant Kingmaker can provide protection. Sending an offering to the God of Gods may be recommended depending how severe the situation is. A single vampire is a waste of His time.  
_

Fortunately for Ding Dong Dell, Oakenhart has not gone mad and attempted to wipe out the populace like Longfang and Bastion was rumored to have done according to Leafbook (his knowledge on Hydropolitan was rusty but apparently Queen Nerea admitted of a stasis spell being lifted by Brineskimmer? That can't be right. Everyone should be dead now that nothing is keeping time back on them). Therefore amulets bearing his image should still work.

"What's that?" asked Crane as he pointed.

"Oh," the fur uncovered by the grimalkin guard's armor fluffed up in fright, "its a-a protection amulet. F-for good luck, sir. May Oakenhart...smile upon us."

Crane blinked, showing no sign that the words had done anything.

"...Huh," he ventured, "I guess I still have a lot to learn."

"Weren't you from Ding Dong Dell?" asked the grimalkin. Finally, one with actual brains.

Mr. Crane smiled neutrally. The kind of smile that makes you untrust the person instinctively.

"Don't worry about it," he said quickly.

* * *

**3\. Vampires Can't Cross Running Water**

Unfortunately, there were bridges and pools everywhere in this castle. There was no simple way to truly test this. Damn.

By the time it occurred to Vermine to use water magic, Mausinger had decided to test Crane in a different fashion.

"Now Mr. Crane, let us see where your loyalties truly lie," he declared as he smiled viciously at the sky pirate in the dungeon cell. Vermine held back a sniff. Of course Tildrum would associate himself with such riff-raff after being cast out. But no matter. What's one less in the grand scheme of things?

And besides, surely a vampire would have better tastes in minions.

(...Not that Vermine was planning to become a minion. Master Doloran is enough for him.)

Crane looked away from his new hosts and hesitated. The pirate seemed rather hopeful by this action.

"Is something the matter?" asked His Majesty, "Surely you are capable of such a straightforward act of commitment. Or..." His eyes narrowed and he cocked his head, his ears twitching in curiosity, "do we have an imposter in our midst."

"Don't get ahead of yourself," replied Crane calmly and the pirate gasped and immediately recoiled as his former ally approached. Crane looked back his Majesty and Vermine bit back a squeak.

Crane's eyes were a dark yellow.

"Let's just say I have my own methods."

And then, deaf to the pirate's pleas for mercy, he raised his gun and shot him twice.

Vermine was impressed. How brutal.

...How convenient.

Don't vampires have mind control powers? How do they know he didn't fake out shooting the fellow and forced him to sleep?

Vermine waited until he and Mausinger were alone.

"Sire, I think -" he started.

"Its about the prisoner, isn't it?" guessed the King, "I doubt he is actually dead and he shall stay where he is. If Mr. Crane tries to rescue him, he will be face the consequences."

Vermine blinked. So he wasn't the only one.

"Honestly," Mausinger shook his head, "for a spy, he is not a very good one. Do you remember how quickly Mr. Crane agreed that the Mark of Kings was red?"

"Indeed, sire," agreed Vermine as he recalled Crane's first day in the castle. The vampire had barely managed to suppress a grimace when he offered his former king's life. He also had sneaked in some pro-grimalkin legislation, explaining that it would be wise to ease up on them before a rebellion starts.

(Mausinger agreed to it before Vermine could intervene. Great, now he has to find a way to reverse it so the kingsbond's corruption can get back on track. Damn you, Crane!)

And most suspiciously, Crane had been seen wandering around the castle, talking to everyone. Is he getting intel on patrol and maintenance patterns? Or is he attempting to use his vampire powers to force people to betray the Crown? Or is it both?

All spies risk being captured. The punishment is usually death.

...Hmm, what does the book say on destroying a vampire?

* * *

_One method of dispatching a vampire is driving a wooden stake to the heart. Wood from trees that grow around a King's Cradle or a shrine dedicated to a Kingmaker are best preferred._

The castle shrine, located in the eastern courtyard so it can face the Cradle of Creation, has several maple trees. He'll have to collect the wood from there. It's much safer that way and cuts out a lot of travel time compared to traveling to the cradle.

Vermine stared at the bundle of thin branches he collected. They don't seem thick enough for a stake. He'll have to settle for arrows instead.

Now...where is the armorer for the guards?

* * *

The trap has been sprung. Captain Buck knows better than to trust the words of someone who has only been in the castle for two weeks.

And so Vermine and King Mausinger brought a few guards with them as they heard movement from the former chambers of young Tildrum.

The mirror, which had kept its original bronze layer as a second layer after silver was applied, still hung over the fireplace undamaged. It is said that vampires react violently to mirrors if they ever look into them. Crane had better things to do than vandalize a room in rage.

The bed had been moved aside to reveal a hidden passageway. They all traveled through it, wondering where it would lead to.

At last, they reached a dead end just in time to see Crane bent over a treasure box muttering, "But...wasn't it supposed to be red?"

He raised his head, oblivious to impending danger, "Well, now...I should've seen that one coming."

"Indeed," Mausinger announced his presence, "Now hand it over."

* * *

Vermine seethed as he ran down to the dungeons. He missed! How did he miss an entire torso with a crossbow?

They had Crane trapped right there in that room. The soldiers he brought with him were instructed to use the maple wood arrows and carry turnips and symbols of Oakenhart.

The fiend revealed his true colors by declaring his loyalty to Tildrum and attempted to control His Majesty with mind games.

To protect his king, Vermine had grabbed a soldier's crossbow and fired. A grunt was heard and Crane immediately struggled to pull the arrow out of his arm (vampire or not, the resulting blood loss would be detrimental to his escape). Eventually he gave up and broke off the arrow shaft before putting on sunglasses.

Unconcerned by the charging guards armed with weapons, Crane flung something in the air and a bright light blinded everyone.

When it faded, he was gone and some of the guards were staring at the floor in confusion. His Majesty picked up an opened metal ball, looked at it and then at the spot the guards were watching.

Fortunately, Vermine and the others were spared from being distracted by the illusion spell and so he lead them out of the passageway.

There was only one place where Crane could have gone.

...And he wasn't there, it turns out.

Neither was the prisoner. The cell was empty save for a strange device. There was traces of magic still inside designed to wake someone up from a sleeping curse.

"How did that bloody vampire escape?" There was no way out. The trip door and travel spells don't work in the dungeons. The grate to the sewers was undamaged and too narrow for a bat to fly through.

"Vampire?" asked Mausinger as he arrived, "What vampire?"

"Crane!" gasped out Vermine in frustration.

Mausinger blinked before comprehension dawned to him. He sighed tiredly.

"Roland Crane is not a vampire," he revealed, "is this why I smell burnt turnips everywhere?"

"Then what is he?" demanded Vermine, "He was frightening everyone for days!"

"Did Pippin and Grimm ever tell you?" said Mausinger, "Before they crossed over into Dellian territory proper, a battalion of border guards, Pippin, and Mr. Crane were ambushed by a tainted monster. Mr. Crane defeated it with a mastery of the Shift Shape spell and gravity magic. He got too close and was injured by it. Injuries from tainted monsters are cursed and will not heal naturally. It took several days for healers and the court mages to mostly purify him."

"Then why -"

"Why didn't Oakenhart do it for us? Mr. Crane is under the protection of another Kingmaker and thus is not his concern. I suspect once he returns to Evermore, _with the Mark of Kings_, Tildrum's joke of a Kingmaker will do the rest."

"But why a bat and the yellow eyes?" growled Vermine. "Why make us think he's a vampire?"

"I suspect that was his idea of a joke to make us not guess his true intentions," Mausinger rolled his eyes. "How juvenile of him."

The king gave one last glare at the empty dungeon cell before turning around to leave, "Alas, it's too late to capture Mr. Crane now. We must wait for his - Tildrum's - next move."

"Of course, Sire."

They shall not get fooled again.

[Several Weeks Later]

"That was the third person we passed by in here who did that," Tani noted as a mouse maid held up a turnip as Evermore's representatives got closer to the throne room.

"Roland, lad, what did you do?" asked Batu.

"A lapse in judgement," Roland admitted. "I hope nobody takes it too far..."

Leander frowned before quickly casting a force field around the party.

"Don't worry sir!" called the maid, "You'll be freed from his control soon enough!"

Lofty laughed so hard he fell off from his perch on Batu's shoulder.

* * *

[ALTERNATE ENDING]

There was only one place where Crane could have gone.

...And he wasn't there, it turns out.

Neither was the prisoner. The cell was empty save for a strange device. There was traces of magic still inside designed to wake someone up from a sleeping curse.

"How did that bloody vampire escape?" There was no way out. The trip door and travel spells don't work in the dungeons. The grate to the sewers was undamaged and too narrow for a bat to fly through.

"I suspect that fiend had help," said Mausinger as he got close to the empty cell, "The devices have to be work of Broadleaf."

"Did you know he was a vampire the whole time, Your Majesty?" asked Vermine.

"Of course I did," growled Mausinger, "Oakenhart warned me the moment Mr. Crane entered the city."

"Then why didn't you do anything?!" demanded Vermine.

"I thought you had it under control by organizing everyone to gather items known to drive off a vampire," admitted the tall mouse, "Did they work as legends said they would?"

"No!"

"Hmmm, Oakenhart did mention he sensed another Kingmaker's protection on Mr. Crane," said Mausinger as he stroked his goatee in thought, "it must be Tildrum's."

...Well, no wonder Vermine missed his target point blank. Blasted grimalkin!

"But the turnips still should have given him a reaction," Mausinger added, "and so should Oakenhart's symbols. His self-control is something to be admired."

"He could have harmed our people!" Vermine pointed out.

"Funny you should say that. Several patrols have found wildlife drained of their blood every few days. He had no interest in attacking citizens. That would only keep him under closer watch and delay his escape with the Mark."

Vermine seethed. With the Mark of Kings, Tildrum could sneak in and assassinate the king and take over Ding Dong Dell to fulfill his birth right.

And Vermine would fail his Master in procuring the Kingsbond. And then he'll never be king himself.

"We must prepare ourselves for a possible invasion," declared Mausinger, disrupting Vermine's stewing thoughts, "who knows when Evermore will strike."

* * *

[Several weeks later]

"Is that a welcome mat?" asked Tani as she and the rest of the Evermore delegation entered Ding Dong Dell Castle.

"Why is it upside down?" added Roland as he stepped over it.

"It is a deterrent for vampires," explained Leander, "it is supposed to keep them out. To show that they don't have permission to enter."

"...Is that why there was so many turnips on the walls when I was here?" Roland realized, "That was for vampires too?" He suddenly felt grateful that not everything is the same between both worlds.

"Well, yeah," said Bracken as she shrugged, "Can't see why they would think that."

She received several incredulous stares, "...What? Was it something I said?"

"We'll explain later," ventured Evan.

**END**

* * *

(And then they do the Nutriblam quest and Roland refuses to get near anyone for days afterwards because there's traces of garlic _everywhere_.)

The alternate ending is basically 'Roland is a vampire but nnk2's vampire lore mostly doesn't apply to him' but it didn't seem hijinks-y enough.

Another ending/intepretation would have been that the Horned One caused all books on vampire lore to show the wrong information as a way to protect Roland and nobody in DDD realizes this until after he escapes.

Shift Shape is one of the spells listed in the Wizard's Companion in Wrath of the White Witch. You basically can transform into anything. Roland, who I am aware in canon can do like two or three spells, in this story figured out how to modify parts of himself temporarily and thus proceeded to troll everyone in Ding Dong Dell.

Here's some of the vampire weaknesses covered according to wikipedia (vs me making stuff up):

1\. Garlic/wild rose/hawthorn (vs Turnips/daisies)

2\. Religious symbols

3\. Mirrors in general, hung up on a door (vs specifically bronze-backed mirrors)

4\. Stakes made of ash/oak/aspen/hawthorn wood (vs maple/whichever wood is growing near a Kings Cradle or a shrine dedicated to the Kingmaker)

5\. Running water

6\. Inability to enter places without permission but once invited, the vampire will come and go as they please (vs retracting the invitation symbolically)

So yeah, this has been a lot of fun to write but now I get the feeling I'm getting closer to writing a Big Dang Vampire Fic :O

See y'all next time.


	7. This Needs More Than A Get-A-Long Shirt

The inevitable AU themed Roland x Khunbish one shot but this time as a vampire and werewolf respectively who hate each other's guts.

The goal was to get them from enemies to lovers (somehow) but the writing drive is dying and so I went 'screw it' and decided to post it as is.

To be honest, this feels mildly out of character and that's probably why this refused to go any further.

Also a heads up: A lot of swearing and name calling if that's not your jam

* * *

Sanguine Tales To Tell In The Crypt

By Bilbo-sama

This Needs More Than Just A Get-A-Long Shirt

* * *

"And why should we let ye two live when I can smell vampire all over him?" growled Khunbish as he raised his crossbow a bit higher so it was aiming at the dark haired man's chest.

The captive looked back at him in defiance, "And I can smell wet dog. I suppose its you?"

"Roland!" gasped the now more frightened grimalkin kid as Khunbish's growl became more dangerous in response.

"Khunbish, now's not the time to fer ancient species grudges," groaned Chingis, "We're supposed to take 'em to the Boss on Mistress Tani's orders."

"We're practically invitin' him to drain everyone dry!" argued Khunbish.

"Not if we get there before nightfall first," said Chingis as his headache got worse.

"Why? What will happen if we don't?" asks the grimalkin.

"Your buddy here will drop the 'I am really harmless' act and try to eat our faces," explain Khunbish, "like the uncultured savage he is."

"But...we've been outside for days," the grimalkin pointed out with confusion in his tone, "and he hasn't harmed me even once."

"He's saving ye for later," insisted Khunbish.

"Or maybe," hissed the vampire in absolute disgust, "I don't drink from _children_."

Chingis sighed. May they reach the village without anyone dying.

* * *

"So ye brought Mistress Tani home to safety," Khunbish glared at Roland, "that changes nothing, bloodsucker."

"Fleabag," Roland shot back.

"What the heck happened while I was gone?" asked Tani as the two continued to throw insults at each other.

"It's a long story," sighed Evan.

* * *

"Dodge!" came Roland's command and Khunbish ducked just in time to avoid a spear to the face.

"That still changes nothing!" he shouted in Roland's direction, "Ye have no power over me!"

"You're welcome, mutt!"

"Fuck ye!"

"No thanks!"

The bandit who nearly speared Khunbish snickered. With a howl of rage, Khunbish punched him in the face.

* * *

"AROOO!" went a distant wolf howl followed by enraged indistinct shouting.

Batu sighed. Of course Khunbish would pull something like this on a full moon. Couldn't he have waited until their little patch of kingdom was more than a bunch of tents?

There was another howl and a muffled curse. He heard Lofty mutter something in his odd language as he passed by Batu's tent.

Ugh. He might as well intervene before the young lad wakes up to a whole new mess in the morning. Batu got up, made sure Tani was still asleep, left the tent, and headed towards where he thought the racket was coming from. It wasn't hard when Khunbish would bark and Roland would curse at him to shut up.

He was greeted by the sight of Roland sneaking up on a whamster, presumably to feed on it. He crouched down as if readying himself to tackle it. Before he could do that, a large brown furred wolf barked and barrelled towards it. The whamster fled in terror and Roland made an inhuman noise that reminded Batu of frustration.

"Fucking again, you little shit?!" Roland yelled as the wolf ran past him and sat down at a distance long enough for him to bolt if the vampire ever tried to attack him.

His eyes were a dark yellow and his enraged face didn't look human at all. Batu was taken back by the sight. He didn't know this was what a vampire's 'game face' looked like. At least the kids aren't around to see it.

Khunbish, however, barked in an amused tone.

"I will pump you full of silver bullets if you keep this up!" the vampire threatened.

"Shut the flippin' heck up!" yelled Lofty, who finally arrived. "We're all tryin' to flippin' to sleep here!"

Roland and Khunbish turned to look sheepishly at the little Kingmaker who had hopped onto Batu's shoulder. He was surprisingly light, it turned out.

"For someone concerned about keeping everyone from becoming vampire food, yer gonna cause the very thing yer trying to prevent, Khunbish," said Batu in his I Am The Motherfucking Chief voice. Khunbish laid down flat on the ground and whimpered submissively.

"Thank you," Roland tiredly gritted out, his tone falsely polite. He most likely wanted it to be over so he can go hunt.

"As for ye, Roland, if you want to kill a werewolf, you use platinum bullets, not silver."

Roland blinked, "What?" He then threw his arms in the air in frustration.

"Are you fucking kidding me? _Platinum?_ Honestly, what the fuck is with this stupid world? Can't have anything universal between worlds. Oh no, that would be too easy..." He ran off into the distance and Lofty snapped his fingers when it appeared that Roland was getting close to the bridge over the river that separated the heartlands and the rubbly ruins.

"Well that was something," commented Lofty while Batu continued stare at the vampire crossing the bridge in bewilderment. "Now come on, let's all get some flippin' shut eye."

Khunbish had the sense to follow Batu and Lofty back to camp.

* * *

The next day, everyone was greeted by the sight of a bat screeching as it hovered around Khunbish's head. The thick markings above its eyes can remind one of Roland's eye brows.

It wisely stayed out of range of Khunbish's flailing arms as it continued to make its displeasure known.

'Thank the gods we're leaving for Niall's forest today,' Batu thought. He looked forward to some peace and quiet uninterrupted by Roland and Khunbish antagonizing each other.

He still waited before intervening. Khunbish's actions really could've endangered everyone last night and he needed it drilled into his head.

Batu hoped this would be the last time.

* * *

Weeks later, when the little scouting party returned tired but victorious in their goal of obtaining wood from Niall, Batu watched as Khunbish and the newly appointed Chief Consul reunite.

"So you've returned, dirtnapper," growled Khunbish.

"That's Consul Dirtnapper to you, Moonbrains," smirked Roland.

"W-what?!"

"You heard me."

A new argument erupted. Batu sighed and wondered when will be a good time to lock them in a closet and let them sort it out.


	8. Paperless IOUs

This was originally part of the previous story but it felt like it can stand up on its own. And I dunno, I guess I wanted to keep it.

So yeah, have another random fragment of the adventures of vampire!Roland. Not really sure if its compatible with previous chapters though.

* * *

Sanguine Tales To Tell In The Crypt

By Bilbo-sama

Paperless IOUs

* * *

As it turns out, Goldpaw was a city of Dogfolk who seemed not bothered by the fact that it was practically neon everywhere, that one of the tourists that just arrived is a vampire, or that their thing was gambling on everything ever.

...Well, its none of his business. He decided to focusing on making sure their mission to retrieve Niall's deed goes smoothly.

Unfortunately for Roland, he did not account for the gatekeeper to the Grand High Roller's palace and the massive debt Evan acquired that was personified as a screeching bird.

"Can you drink its blood?" asked Tani, after ten minutes had passed and the Due Bill has not let up on its quest to make everyone go deaf a lot sooner. How do people in this place get used to this sort of thing?

"Does a magical construct even have blood?" Evan prodded the bird's thin abdomen. It looked rather unhealthy for a personification of a debt of few million guilders.

"It may make things worse if we try to silence it that way," sighed Roland. The bird was about to take a deep breath when Roland turned a yellow eyed glare and said with all the frustration in his very being, **"Do not."**

The bird squawked as it felt the command run through its head.

It flapped around quietly and the group let a collective sigh of relief.

The Due Bill made no noise for a whole hour before the compulsion suddenly wore off thanks to Batu investigating the casino and getting into debt himself. His bird was a lot fatter than Evan's. Roland frowned. How much did he owe to Goldpaw and will they be stuck with it for the rest of their lives?

"...You owe me," the embodiment of Evan's debt said quietly and nervously.

"MONEY! NOW!" shrieked the oblivious newcomer. Roland glared at it until it joined its fellow in sheepishly squawking reminders.

* * *

And this is it for the Vampirepalooza. I meant to write more but life decided to be stressful this month orz

I might throw in a chapter here and there sometime in the future if I get inspired but for now, this series is deemed complete.

Have a great Halloween!


	9. Can't Change My Mind

_(Note from April 10, 2020: I found this sitting around in my files and for the life of me I can't remember why I never posted this. So uh, enjoy I guess)_

I set out to write a story about Evan being a dhampir (aka someone who is half-vampire by birth) but then the angst jumped out. So, uh, basically this is pretty much Bigots Find Something To Dogpile On: The Fic. So...yeah. Oof.

A couple of my OCs from _The Chief Consul's Diary_ also barged in and refused to leave. So guess whose back for a quick cameo, everybody!

Warnings: bigotry, people dying during the coup, Vermine being Vermine, me most likely not handling this subject very well

* * *

Sanguine Tales To Tell In The Crypt

By Bilbo-sama

Can't Change My Mind

* * *

"That abomination had the audacity to tell me 'good morning' today," whispered a grimalkin noble to another.

"That abomination you speak of is the prince!" scolded the other noble who had noticed Chancellor Otto Mausinger pass by and knew the consequences if the mouse alerted the king. His well groomed orange furred tail swished in suspicion at him.

"I'm aware but there is something...wrong about him! He barely resembles either of his parents!" continued the first grimalkin, who wasn't very concerned if the Chancellor overheard their muted conversation. He was only one voice of many that the King listens to. The others could shut it down quickly and make him look like a petty fool if he tries anything.

"Of course he doesn't, Purrcy," said the orange furred noble, "I heard they had to summon dark creatures to bring him into this world."

Mausinger rolled his eyes. How superstitious do you have to be to speak badly of your king's five year old son? And so out in the open no less!

He turned around a corner and nearly collided with Miss Aranella, the prince's governess.

"They're at it again," she growled quietly, "Those hypocrites."

"Fascinating how no one complained until the queen died," agreed Mausinger.

The marriage of King Leonhard and Lady Felicity was met with very little objection despite Lady Felicity hailing from the Sanguinia family of Autumnia, a well known clan of vampires. There was some whispers when Evan was born but it seemed that everyone held back until illness claimed the Queen a year ago.

(...On second thought, perhaps he should have looked deeper into that. Disease rarely kills vampires, last he had heard.

But no one would believe a mouse accusing his 'betters' of murdering the queen.)

"They're just bringing it out into the open while the king is distracted." News of a new nation forming in Autumnia has reached Ding Dong Dell's shores and that Broadleaf's ruler is traveling across the ocean to visit the nations in the Summerlands has alarmed much of King Leonhard's ministers.

Unfortunately, Mausinger, meanwhile, couldn't find the words to dispute Aranella's statement. The same nobles spewing toxic words about the young prince never liked anyone who wasn't Grimalkin or below their station. And they're taking advantage of most of the castle scrambling to prepare to gossip.

He sighed. He had yet to find a proper solution to this.

"We'll just have to keep young Evan away from them," he decided.

"Easier said than done," Aranella muttered.

* * *

President Zip Vector of Broadleaf's visit went on without a hitch and the dissenting whispers quieted so no one loyal to the House of Tildrum could hear them out in the open once more.

But the damage was done. Evan, a normally friendly and cheerful child, became more hesitant to interact with others. He avoided the harshest critics as much as he can.

The change in his behavior did not go unnoticed. The king showed his displeasure in small ways such as quietly rearranging offices so there's more of a walk to the throne room for the lazier offenders and asking certain people for their opinions less frequently.

Personally Mausinger would have executed the dissenters and be done with it. But he wasn't the king. He was a mere mouse.

And despite all the progress he and Leonhard had made to unite all peoples in Ding Dong Dell, Mausinger felt unsatisfied.

* * *

The king was seriously ill. No one knows what is causing it or why his illness wont improve.

"At this rate, he'll most likely die," said the Earl of Summerlands bluntly as his grey furred tail swished.

"Timaeus!" gasped the dark haired human woman beside him, aghast.

"He's right, Penelope," Lord Purrcy, "His Majesty hasn't gotten better in the past few months. Its possible that he never will."

"A shame, really," the orange furred grimalkin shook his head, "he may have pushed policies I've hated with a burning passion, but he was still a good man."

"If only this wasn't so soon, Herbert," Penelope shook her head, "the prince is so young..."

"Do not speak of that..._abomination_," growled Lord Purrcy, startling Lord Timaeus and Lady Penelope, "I don't want to think of that _thing_ on the throne just yet."

"Purrcy," the Earl began calmly, "there have been hybrid offspring born to this world before."

"But not between the living and the undead," Herbert interjected, "at least, not successfully. That proves there are limits and King Leonhard is paying the price for his insolence!"

* * *

King Leonhard died near the end of winter on an oddly warm day. The official cause of death was illness that conveniently was never identified.

Mausinger and his conspirators know the true cause: a year of poisoned food. It started with a little bit to avoid suspicion and make it look like stress. And then little by little the dosage increased until Leonhard's body couldn't fight back anymore.

It was decided that Leonhard's son, Evan, will be officially crowned king and bonded to Oakenhart next month during the first week of spring. Even though he was a few months shy of eleven years old and had only two years of schooling on the art of kingship, supporters of the House of Tildrum wished for a Tildrum on the throne now. Some of them were the same people who Mausinger knew hated having a halfling on the throne. Those hypocrites.

The day of his coronation was the perfect time to strike.

A new era of mousekind will rise and the grimalkin shall fall.

* * *

Lord Purrcy was dead.

Penelope stood there as the mice sneered at his cooling corpse and ignored the horrified human.

"Where are the others, Milady?" asked a swordsman as she sheathed her bloodied blade.

"I don't know," she said truthfully. Where's Timaeus? Medea?

Sir Arnold, she knew, was also human. He would be ignored as long as he never loses his short temper and attacks a rebel.

If he manages to meet up with Master Tomca, there was a chance they both may survive this.

But she still had to warn them. Penelope turned around and fled down the corridor.

"Penny!" gasped Medea as Penelope almost collided into her. Her ears twitched as she heard the sounds of battle.

"You have to get out of here!" Penelope demanded, "They're killing people!"

"I know," said Medea darkly, "Aranella and I found out why. The rats are throwing a coup."

Aranella...the prince's governess. If she's still standing then the prince might survive this.

"Of all days," muttered Penelope.

"I found Timaeus," Medea revealed, "he is waiting for you in the servants' quarters. Take him and leave this place. Protect the king when you meet up with him."

They both startled as the sound of armored boots became louder all of a sudden. Penelope paled. The rebels must've followed her.

"I thought you hated Evan."

"He may be an abomination," said Medea as she readied her wand, facing the direction of the approaching soldiers, "But he's _our_ abomination. Now go!"

It was the last time Penelope saw her.

* * *

"It's...it's because I'm a Dhampir, isn't it," Evan whimpered as he and Roland settled down for the night in the cave they found.

"Dhampir?" Roland never heard of that term before.

"My mother was a vampire," explained Evan, "its rare for a mortal and a vampire pairing to have children."

So the boy is half-vampire. Roland wasn't aware vampires were a thing in this world.

Evan wasn't what Roland expected in a vampire. Too timid. Too emotional. Just a kid who lost everything in a day. Lonely.

He sort of reminded Roland of his son.

(God, he hoped Will is okay.)

"It might be," Roland reluctantly agreed and Evan wilted even further. So Roland quickly added, "But it must have been an old conflict that finally boiled over into the mice's favor. It wasn't because of something you did."

"...I hope so," mumbled Evan.

* * *

Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum is alive.

Mausinger pushed back his relief as he set down his Viewer. Tildrum is alive...and he may someday come back to take back the throne.

Tildrum will find little support among the surviving rebellious nobles if he does. They have either died to his men's hands (with some who wouldn't go down without a fight), were imprisoned under house arrest, or fled the kingdom. Some of the more neutral nobles and their families stayed and swore fealty to Mausinger.

He had mixed feelings about that. Are they truly that loyal? Or will they turn on him when Tildrum comes back?

The only upside he can think of is that the boy wont have to hear disparaging whispers of his parentage among his new allies, whoever they may be.

* * *

Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum is alive.

Vermine swiped the contents off his desk in rage.

The little monster is alive!

Damn it all!

This goes against all of his plans. The boy is practically immune to the corrupting nature of dark magic like his late father. He would never give up a kingsbond to Vermine's master. And if he comes back with allies to take back the throne, the resulting war may end with Otto dead and his kingsbond unusable for whatever his master plans on doing with it.

And then Tildrum would become king and find out Vermine's role in all this and execute him.

Thus, Vermine would never become king if that happens.

Vermine took a deep breath to calm himself.

Right. He should focus on the now.

Yes, his 'friend' Otto is pure-hearted but he is so easily controllable. Just guide him to a train of thought with an implanted suggestion and then sit back and watch the results unfold.

...Only now it seems the kingsbond grants some sort of protection that made it more difficult to use mind magic. Is this why his attempts on Leonhard had failed?

Vermine snarled, revealing sharp fangs.

He should have turned Otto when he had the chance.

* * *

"The freak survived?" blinked Lord Herbert inside his lavish prison cell. His orange tail swished in disdain. As if it can't be any worse than the mice taking over Ding Dong Dell. He should have known they would screw up on that like the wretched trash they are.

"He had help," said Vermine, "his governess and a human called Roland Crane. Miss Aranella did not survive."

"Never heard of him if that's what you're asking," sniffed Lord Herbert. "A shame on the girl. She would have made an excellent spy if she didn't attach herself to the freak."

"Yes," agreed Vermine, "she would have..."

* * *

Somehow, the Sanguinia clan never got the notice that the mice ruled Ding Dong Dell now until they dropped by in an unexpected visit.

They also seemed unbothered by this fact. As if this was just another petty mortal thing that will probably resolve itself eventually.

Mausinger suddenly felt very nervous. He internally reached towards his kingsbond in hopes of comfort. Oakenhart responded with a wave of reassurance. Mausinger dealt with some of them at Leonhard's funeral, didn't he? Surely he can do it again.

"And where can we find young Evan?" asked Lord Ulrich, leader of the clan.

"He has founded a new kingdom in the Heartlands," replied Mausinger, "_Evermore_ I believe he named it. You'll find it beyond the mountains in the south east."

"Ah," nodded Lord Ulrich, "near the ruins of Ebbswane. I always wondered if anyone was going to reclaim those lands."

"I do believe this means we can be winter neighbors," said a young woman (...or a,t least, Mausinger _thought_ she looked young) cheerfully.

"It does!" grinned Lord Ulrich, "How delightful!"

"...Indeed," Mausinger unwittingly agreed.

The meeting soon concluded with an ominous promise to return before the representatives at last left the Kingdom.

"...That went well," said one of the court mages who he recalled being named Marlene.

"W-well?!" sputtered Vermine, who was too intimidated to speak the entire time (for he knew they had more power than he could ever imagine and would neutralize him if he tried anything). "They are grimalkin sympathizers and we're stuck with them forever!"

"They're also King Evan's Kingmaker's problem," Another mage pointed out, "That...thing is too weak to keep a whole clan of vampires in check."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Ratasha," disputed Marlene, "Lofty," she made an unimpressed face. What kind of name is that for a kingdom's protector? "is from the Cradle of Light. Surely a Kingmaker of that nature would be able to handle them."

"We'll just have to tolerate them," decided Mausinger tiredly.

Vermine looked up at him with an expression that gives one the impression that he was screaming internally.

* * *

"Well," said Lord Herbert flatly as he set down his Leafbook viewer, "Broadleaf has joined the Union Evermore has come up with. That's three out of the four great nations. What do you think you should do now that Ding Dong Dell is next?"

* * *

"What's with all the turnips?" Roland Crane asked Vermine.

"They ward vampires," the Chancellor explained, "they don't bother you?"

"No," Mr. Crane had the audacity to look confused, "why?"

"So no one in Evermore has been turned?"

Mr. Crane shook his head, "I'm in a castle full of turnips and I haven't spontaneously combusted within five minutes of being here. I'm very sure I'm still human."

He picked up a stack of papers and carried them over to his desk, missing the Chancellor quietly gagging at the turnip resting on a shelf.

* * *

"And why should I return to that little..._freak_, hm?" Roland raised his gun and pointed it at the horrified pirate.

"You hated him all this time?" gasped the pirate.

"Yes, I did." The gun fired twice and the man collapsed, seemingly dead.

That was too quick of a confession and it sounded well-rehearsed.

Mausinger couldn't help but distrust Roland Crane even more.

* * *

"I'm sorry," croaked Roland as he and Khunbish hopped their way out of the sewers, "but I had to get them to trust me."

"Did it work?" asked Khunbish sullenly.

"I don't think they trusted me from the start."

"Good," replied Khunbish with all the venom he can muster in his currently tiny body.

* * *

"But you!" Vermine pointed to Evan, his fangs gleaming white, "you disgusting little wretch! You defied nature's requests to die politely like a good abomination!"

He watched in satisfaction as the halfling flinched. Good. He still knew his place.

"Vermine..." Mausinger turned to his chancellor in shock, his eyes clearing as Vermine's control wavered. "You felt this way all this time?"

"Oh yes, my dear friend," grinned Vermine, his yellow eyes gazing into Mausinger's own to reestablish his power over his king.

Mausinger, however, was quicker to resist this time. He raised his sword, "Come, Oaken-"

It was the opening Doloran needed to gain his final kingsbond at last.

* * *

"Tell me, Evan," said Mausinger wearily, "has opinion on your heritage improved since the founding of Evermore?"

"It has," nodded Evan, "but not everyone will like me for what I am. I've accepted that."

Mausinger winced. The boy's words came with a wisdom fit for someone much older than him. The world had been so cruel.

And Mausinger, in his most hot blooded, had added on to that cruelty for nearly two years.

"Evan," he started, "I-"

The child king shook his head as he smiled tiredly, "I know, King Mausinger. I know..."


End file.
